How does Shelley shape the response of the reader towards the creation in his final chapter of narration?
In the final chapter of creation’s narration the reader sympathises with the creation and by this point Shelley has ensured that the reader considers Victor Frankenstein to be more of a monster than the creation itself. Shelley has formed the image of the creation being an intelligent, kind-hearted human being who longs to be accepted socially, as well as his undying wish for compassion. However, all of this can never become true for the creation, as he is rejected from society due to his physical appearance. In this final chapter of the creation’s narration, Shelley emphasises the reader’s feelings of sympathy using a variety of ways. However, Shelley alters the reader’s perception of the creature towards the end of the chapter and he really is considered as a monster.
It is made clear from the onset of this chapter that the creation is in a depressed and angry state. Shelley uses the imagery of the weather and the darkness of the night to reflect the creature’s emotions at the time, “O! What a miserable night I passed!” To contrast the monster’s dark and despairing emotions, which had begun to deter the readers feelings from empathy, Shelley creates the next day as a complete distinction from the darkness of the night before, “The pleasant sunshine, and the pure air of day, restored me to some degree of tranquillity…I could not help believing that I had been too hasty in my conclusions.” The creation is slowly restored to what the reader has come to expect, although Shelley has prepared the reader for what the monster is capable of. Shelley has used light as a manifestation of the monsters emotions, this use of light and dark in alliance with emotions has not only been used by Shelley in this chapter but also in the chapter where the creature is given life.
